Board games have long been used as a mode of entertainment and socialization between friends. The time honored pastime of game playing has developed certain time parameters in which a game should be played, e.g. typically forty-five minutes to one hour for adults. Longer or shorter periods of time tend to detract from the enjoyment or ability to complete the game.
Board games have often simulated other forms of the same game. For instance, several patents have been issued to board games simulating the game of golf. Generally, these board game simulations attempt to bring various aspects of the outdoor version into the board game.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,246 (Standgard) discloses a board golf game, having a plurality of paths along which players move their respective pegs. Hazards such as trees, water, sand traps and the like are presented through, around, or over which a player attempts to guide their ball, e.g. peg. The ball is moved via a roll of die. Standgard includes steps such as requiring doubles to be rolled on the die to get out of a trap that typically take a long time to completed, but at least theoretically, can prevent the game from ever being completed, far exceeding the standard time allotted for board games.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,229 (Feeney) discloses a golf game, having pegs and peg holes. Die are rolled to determine the distance the ball, e.g. peg is moved toward the hole. The die are selected based upon the club selection to provide a more accurate feel of true golfing conditions, but adding to the complication and time of game play. Yardage between shots is to be added with prior shots on a given hole to determine the location of the ball, further adding to the complication. While these attributes purport to the actual feel of golf, the attributes focus a player on mathematics and figuring out which die, etc. should be used and detract from speedy play with socialization.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0025269 (Stranger) teaches a golf board game apparatus. This game includes a wide variety of pieces and is played on a traditional square-to-square path as is found in many board games. Use of die and cards move the ball forward and backward down each link. The excessive use of die and cards adds to the play time and changes the game from a social event to a storyline.
What is needed is a board game that simulates golf, is simplistic to play, avoids points that can stall the game and has a playtime that remains within the guidelines of board games. Desirably, the game should allow the socialization to flow as it does in standard golf, e.g. socialization may be impeded on the green, but otherwise socialization is not impeded with mathematical challenges, reading of cards and the like.